Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Latest
    • Thank You
    • 4000. Scenes From A Marriage (1973)
    • 3999. The Pianist (2002)
    • 3998. Philadelphia (1993)
    • 3997. Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (1975)
    • 3996. The Green Mile (1999)
    • 3995. Doctor Zhivago (1965)
    • 3994. Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022)
    The Mad Movie Man
    • Home
    • Blog
      • All Posts
      • Best Of The Year
        • Best Of 2015
        • Best Of 2016
        • Best Of 2017
        • Best Of 2018
        • Best Of 2019
        • Best Of 2020
        • Best Of 2021
        • Best Of 2022
      • The Decade In Review
      • Box Office Analysis
      • James Bond
      • Oscars
      • RANKED
      • Star Wars
      • The Big Questions
      • Top 10
      • World Cinema
    • Ratings
      • Top 250
      • Top 100 Foreign Films
      • Bottom 50
      • 0 – 1.9
      • 2 – 3.9
      • 4 – 5.9
      • 6 – 7.9
      • 8 – 10
    • Genres
      • Action
      • Anthology
      • Animation
      • Christmas
      • Comedy
      • Crime
      • Documentary
      • Drama
      • Fantasy
      • Film-Noir
      • History
      • Horror
      • Kids’
      • Musical
      • Psychological
      • Romance
      • Sci-Fi
      • Short
      • Silent
      • Sport
      • Superhero
      • Survival
      • Thriller
      • Western
    • Release Year
      • 2020s
      • 2010s
      • 2000s
      • 1990s
      • 1980s
      • 1970s
      • 1960s
      • 1950s
      • 1940s
      • 1930s
      • 1920s
    • Country
      • Afghanistan
      • Argentina
      • Australia
      • Austria
      • Belgium
      • Brazil
      • Cambodia
      • Canada
      • Chile
      • China
      • Colombia
      • Costa Rica
      • Czechoslovakia
      • Czech Republic
      • Denmark
      • East Timor
      • Faroe Islands
      • Finland
      • France
      • Germany
      • Georgia
      • Greece
      • Hong Kong
      • Hungary
      • Iceland
      • India
      • Indonesia
      • Iran
      • Iraq
      • Ireland
      • Israel
      • Italy
      • Japan
      • Latvia
      • Lebanon
      • Laos
      • Malaysia
      • Mexico
      • New Zealand
      • Nigeria
      • North Korea
      • Norway
      • Paraguay
      • Peru
      • Philippines
      • Poland
      • Romania
      • Russia
      • Saudi Arabia
      • Singapore
      • South Korea
      • South Africa
      • Soviet Union
      • Spain
      • Sweden
      • Switzerland
      • Syria
      • Taiwan
      • Thailand
      • Turkey
      • Uganda
      • United Kingdom
      • United States
      • Uruguay
      • Vietnam
      • Zambia
    • About
    The Mad Movie Man
    You are at:Home»Review»2656. Crawl (2019)

    2656. Crawl (2019)

    0
    By The Mad Movie Man on August 23, 2019 2019, 8 - 10, 80-89 mins, Action, Aug 19, Horror, Movies Of 2019, Review, Thriller, United States
    8.0 So much fun
    • Acting 7.9
    • Directing 8.2
    • Story 7.8
    • User Ratings (0 Votes) 0

    Starring: Kaya Scodelario, Barry Pepper, Ross Anderson

    Director: Alexandre Aja

    Running Time: 87 mins


    Crawl is an American film about a woman who finds herself trapped in her Florida home with her father in the midst of a Category 5 hurricane, and surrounded by vicious, man-eating alligators.

    Hardly a modern masterpiece of cinema, there are few films out there as purely ridiculous, over-the-top and chaotic as Crawl. And yet, that’s exactly why it’s such a brilliant watch, taking the classic creature feature genre to new heights with both hilariously entertaining action and genuinely exhilarating thrills and tension, proving a snappy hour and a half of brilliant blockbuster fun that I absolutely adored from beginning to end.

    It’s important, though, for me to say that this isn’t one of those so-bad-it’s-good movies. It’s not a Sharknado or Megashark vs. Giant Octopus or whatever it’s called, but actually a well-made, genuinely exciting monster thriller. Think of The Shallows for the most recent direct comparison, a film that, as ridiculous and silly as it may seem from the outside, actually has some real merit throughout.

    And that’s what I really liked about Crawl. It’s a little more on the ridiculous side compared to The Shallows, but it doesn’t forget about the basic requirements of creating tension and excitement, as well as featuring likable and generally intelligent main characters. As a result, it’s not just enjoyable because the killer gator premise is so crazy, but because it’s actually an exciting action thriller.

    Director Alexandre Aja does a great job right the way through. After a slightly draggy opening 15 minutes, the film gets right down to business with what you’ve come to see, and explodes into a frenzy of rapid-fire action that doesn’t let up right until the end.

    Aja injects an exhilarating and breathless pace into the movie that even The Shallows didn’t have, multiplying the fun and fear factor of the faceoff with a group of gators, and wrapping you up in the chaos of the entire situation, impressing with good, unpredictable twists and attacks, as well as a number of entertaining and satisfying jumpscares – something that’s really hard to get right.

    The movie is perhaps a little visually darker and dingier than is perhaps best, with the majority of the story playing out in the muddy underside of a house in the middle of a hurricane, and the CGI on the alligators is far from world-class. However, as much as some production values don’t seem to be up to scratch, the film is still very professional, and feels a thousand times better than the likes of Sharknado that it will likely be compared to most.

    Lead actors Kaya Scodelario and Barry Pepper are hugely entertaining right the way through, with Scodelario in particular being up for all the ridiculous fun, bringing a massively likable energy to the film that gets you on side into supporting her and her father as they battle desperately to escape the ever-worsening danger of both a Category 5 hurricane and a group of vicious alligators.

    In the end, then, Crawl is the film that shows exactly how a modern monster movie should be made. With a focus on exciting, tense and unpredictable action and horror, the film is non-stop entertainment right the way through, featuring breathless, rapid pacing that works brilliantly in tandem with a playful and self-aware brand of monster horror that’s just as hilarious as it is surprisingly exhilarating.

    It’s not a cinematic masterpiece, but Crawl takes a simple, fun premise and makes it work in spectacular fashion, proving perhaps one of the best creature features to hit the big screen in a long time, and that’s why I’m giving it an 8.0 overall.

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    The Mad Movie Man
    • Website
    • Facebook
    • Twitter

    The Mad Movie Man, AKA Anthony Cullen, writes articles and reviews about movies and the world of cinema. From January 1st, 2013 to December 31st, 2022, he watched and reviewed a movie every day. This is the blog dedicated to the project: www.madmovieman.com

    Related Posts

    8.2

    4000. Scenes From A Marriage (1973)

    7.8

    3999. The Pianist (2002)

    8.2

    3998. Philadelphia (1993)

    Follow Me Online!
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
    • Tumblr
    New Releases
    8.2
    December 25, 2022

    3994. Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022)

    5.6
    December 10, 2022

    3969. Falling For Christmas (2022)

    6.9
    December 4, 2022

    3956. The People We Hate At The Wedding (2022)

    5.4
    December 3, 2022

    3954. Disenchanted (2022)

    7.4
    December 3, 2022

    3953. Meet Cute (2022)

    7.6
    November 23, 2022

    3934. Do Revenge (2022)

    7.0
    November 18, 2022

    3929. The Wonder (2022)

    6.7
    November 13, 2022

    3924. See How They Run (2022)

    Recommended Movies
    8.0
    Review
    May 1, 20220

    3725. Blackball (2003)

    8.7
    Review
    June 27, 20200

    3000. The Deer Hunter (1978)

    8.6
    Review
    June 29, 20160

    1397. An Education (2009)

    9.6
    Review
    January 17, 20140

    421. The Wolf Of Wall Street (2013)

    8.0
    Review
    May 13, 20130

    151. Bridesmaids (2011)

    Popular Posts
    December 31, 2022

    Thank You

    8.2
    December 31, 2022

    4000. Scenes From A Marriage (1973)

    7.8
    December 30, 2022

    3999. The Pianist (2002)

    8.2
    December 29, 2022

    3998. Philadelphia (1993)

    7.5
    December 28, 2022

    3997. Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (1975)

    9.1
    December 27, 2022

    3996. The Green Mile (1999)

    7.6
    December 26, 2022

    3995. Doctor Zhivago (1965)

    © 2023 ThemeSphere. Designed by ThemeSphere.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.